Eddie Bo (1930-2009) came from a family of bricklayers, but his mom was a self-taught pianist who was friends with Professor Longhair. He chose the ivories over bricks. The only artist from New Orleans to release more singles than Eddie was Fats Domino.

The name of an instrumental song can make all the difference in the world. In this case, I am not feeling a connection between the cloven-hoofed beasts and this jazzy number by Will Bernard and a helluva backup band (John Medeski, Stanton Moore, Andy Hess).

Perhaps the song is a pre-emptive strike against industrial goat-farming before it spreads. In which case, you should enjoy, but only with an aching sense of guilt.

I sure enjoy me a good dose of jamband now and then. It can get old quick, though, just as wearing the same awesome shirt for a few days in a row can hamper the shirt’s awesomeness.

But this song is not your quintessential jamband song, and it’s not your quintessential jamband either. Umphrey’s McGee is the band that would happen if Elvis Costello and Phish did the nasty… reproductively. That’s a weak description but it’s got strong potential imagery. I’ll extrapolate: Elvis Costello and Phish would do the nasty on stage in a very loud and grody fashion, with several heavily lubricated instruments, and there’d be a wicked light show going on all around them, culminating in a blinding light focusing on the instantly gestated and emerging baby (Umphrey’s McGee) who would come out of Elvis Costello’s “mouth” and bounce across the audience (yeah, there’s an audience!) in a giant, clear, slime-coated beach ball (with breathing holes). And then everyone would eat kind veggie burritos in the parking lot.

Anyway… this here is a chill jam, recorded live in 2008 at the Fox Theater in Atlanta, called “End of the Road.” It’s for all you tweekers out there who need to calm your selves down. Enjoy.

There is a lot of music in this non-song recommendation. In the documentary, Béla Fleck: Throw Down Your Heart, Béla Fleck takes his banjo back to Africa to explore the instrument’s roots and just to try to make some good music along the way.

It’s a fun ride, and this excerpt captures one of the magical moments when music transcends everything else we think is so important when we’re not singing or playing or dancing.

So pull out your thumb piano, your banjo, sing, or just hambone. And enjoy.